If you are running a business, you are a CEO. It can be hard to see at first. And it can be hard to grow into. I recently coached a client who was still doing everything in her business, just like we all do when we start, because she wanted to make, “more” before she delegated some tasks. These days you can get recommendations for temporary support for almost any business-related task, and you can look for project contractors and freelancers who are on https://www.fiverr.com/>Fiverr and https://www.upwork.com/>Upwork, to help as well.
The fact is, there is a mindset shift when you see yourself as running a business, and not just as a self-employed person. As the CEO you will do the research and set a financial goal to get that new team member or contractor in place. As the CEO you have a vision for your company that goes beyond paying yourself a comfortable living. To bring that vision to life, you must step into the role of the company leader.
So, how did we address her need to step into the CEO role? Firstly, I asked her to please define, “make more” before you begin to hire out certain tasks that are not in your zone of genius. “More” is an ambiguous term and an amount you will continue to raise because you can. You can because you didn’t put a line in the sand. “When I make $2500.00 every month, I will add…” is much better than, “I will add a…. once I make some more.”
Next, we made a list. What do you want to get off your plate first. Bookkeeping (a top fave for most entrepreneurs!) and social media. Awesome. How can we get this done as fast as possible? Here are a few things to think about.
- You can start small. You don’t have to hand off everything all at once. For example, hire someone just to schedule your social media content. The hour it takes to schedule a month of posts is an hour you can be making sales, or creating items, or generating leads, or just being in your zone of genius. You can get something off your plate NOW. Think about it and start small. What can you hire out this month?
- You are your best brand ambassador. A key to letting go a bit and getting started with a team is to understand that you are the best person to make the sales, to promote your company, to generate the leads, to build the brand. You are sold out to your vision, or if you aren’t let’s get that way. If you are scheduling posts, writing newsletters, bookkeeping, creating graphics, etc., you aren’t doing the major things that grow the company. Like making the sales. Let someone else do the things that aren’t directly related to your making money for your vision.
- If you are nervous about the money, what is a comfortable budget? It is always nerve wracking to take on a new expense in your business. Many times, we allow fear to stop us from boldly stepping into the CEO role because we may not, “make enough next month.” If someone quotes you a number that gives you hives right now, what is your comfortable budget? Have you ever given it a thought? And back to number one, if your budget is truly small, start with just one thing.
You are the visionary, and you have the vision for the company. Where are you going? You cannot get there if you are bogged down doing everything for your business by yourself, particularly as things start to take off. Make the decision today to step into your CEO role and make the plan for the next stage of your business.